Brick-machine.



PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904.-

J. A. GOTHRAN.

BRICK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10. 1903.

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PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904.

- J. A- GOTHRAN.

BRICK MACHINE.

APPLICATION Hum JULY 10. 1903.

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K0 MODEL.

illl limum will? "Iii UNITED STATES Patented June 21, 1904.

JOHN A. (JOTHRAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,264, dated June 21, 1904.-

Application filed July 10, 1903. Serial No. 164,967. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN A. COTHRAN, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in brick-machines, having as its object to provide means through which the tension-bars of the machine are shifted vertically on the completion of the stroke of the upper ram to effect movement of the lower ram without the use of additional actuating medium for such lower ram.

My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a side View of a brick-machine embodying my improvement. Fig. II is a vertical section taken on line II II, Fig. I, with parts appearing in elevation. Fig. III is a vertical section taken on line III III, Fig. II, with parts appearing in elevation. Fig. IV is a horizontal section taken on line IV IV, Fig. III. Fig. V is a perspective view of one of the upper-ram-limiting wedgeblocks. Fig. VIis ahorizontal section taken on line VI VI, Fig. III.

1 designates a drive wheel that may be driven by power suitably applied thereto and which carries a cam 2 (shown in dotted lines, Fig. I) and a cam 3.

1 is a lever pivotally mounted at 5 in the frame of the machine and bearing at its rear end a roller 6, that operates in the cam 2 of the drive-wheel 1. Pivoted to the lever A at 7 is a pitman 8, that leads to the connectingpivot 9 of an upper toggle-link 10 and a lower toggle-link 11. The upper toggle-link 10 is provided with a head 12, bearing trunnions 13, and the lower toggle-link 11 is pivoted to an upper ram 14., that carries plungers 15.

16 is the mold-box, situated beneath the upper ram 14 to receive its plungers15.

l7 designates the lower ram, which carries plungers 18 to operate in the mold-box 16 on moving upwardly thereto. This lower ram is carried by a shaft 19, that receives the pivotal connection of the forward end of a lever 20, that is pivotally mounted at 21, and the rear arm of which receives the engagement of the cam 3 to rock said lever and elevate the lower ram in the discharge of the bricks from the mold-box 16. The parts thus far described are old, and no invention per 86 is herein claimed for them.

- 22 designates the upright side frames of the machine, which are provided with vertical slots 23, into which the ends of the upper ram 1 1 project and operate therein, the ends of the ram being grooved to form tongues 24:, that project through the slots 23, as seen in Figs. II and VI. The upper ends of the side frames 22 contain slots 25, in which the trunnions 13 of the upper-toggle-link head 12 fit and rest, as seen in Figs. I and II. At the lower ends of the side frames are vertical slots 26, in which the lower-ram-carrying shaft 19'operates.

27 designates tension-bars fitted invertical grooves 28 in the side frames 22 for vertical movement therein. These tension-bars extend loosely through the tongued ends of the upper ram 14, and their upper ends are journaled to the upper-toggle-link-head trunnions,

13, as seen in Figs. II and IV. At the lower ends of the tension-bars 27 are vertical slots 29, through which the lower ram, carrying shaft 19, passes, as seen in Figs. II and III.

30 designates lift fingers carried by the lower ram 17 and extending through the slots 29 in the tension-bars 27.

31 designates wedge-blocks mounted upon the side frames 22 and extending through the slots 23 therein at the bottoms of said slots, so as to occupy a position in the path of downward travel of the ends of the upper ram 1 1 to thereby serve as stops to limit the downward movement of said ram. As hereinbefore mentioned, the ends of the upper ram project into the slots 23 in the side frames, and they are therefore in the same vertical plane as the wedge-blocks; Each of these wedge-blocks is connected to the side frames 22 by adjustment-screws 32, (see Figs. I and 11,) through the medium of which the wedgeblocks may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly to regulate the degree of downward travel of the upper ram as it approaches the moldbox 16.

33 designates cams carried by the uppertoggle-link head 12 at the forward side thereof, and 3 1 designates brackets projecting from the inside faces of the side frames 22 in the path of movement of said cams 33 when the togglelink head 12 is rocked in the actuation of the machine. Surmounting the brackets 34 are removable wedge-shamd wear-blocks 35, that receive the direct bearing of the cams 33.

In the practical operation of my machine when the drive-wheel 1 is rotated the pitman 8, connected to the lever 4, is reciprocated rearwardly through the action of said lever due to its engagement with the cam 2 of said drive-wheel and the toggle-links 10 and 11 are drawn rearwardly by said pitman, which, being connected to their uniting-pivot 9, tends to carry said toggle-links into alinement with each other. On the movement of said togglelinks the upper ram 14: is forced downwardly toward the mold-box 16 and its plungers enter into said box. The movements of the parts up to this point are similar to those in brick-machines heretofore made. In my construction when the upper ram 1 1 reaches the wedge-blocks 31 its downward movement ceases, owing to its engagement with the wedge-blocks before the toggle-links 10 and 11 have completed their movement. As a consequence of the stoppage of travel of the upper ram the toggle-link 10 is forced upwardly, its trunnions 13 riding in such direction in the slots contained by the side frames 22. In the upward travel of said trunnions the tension-bars 27 are moved in vertical lines byreason of their being hung on the trunnions 13. As the tension-bars ascend their lower ends within the slots 29 are brought into engagement with the lift-fingers 30, projecting from the lower ram 17, to cause vertical movement of said ram and carry the plungers 18 into the mold-box in opposition to the plungers 15 of the upper ram 14:. It will therefore be seen that the toggle-links 10 and 11 serve to actuate both of the plunger-carrying rams 14: and 17, the former directly and the latter through the medium of the tensionbars, without the use of any additional agent to effect their movement in the brick-pressing operations.

The cams 33, earried by the upper-togglelink head 12, are designed for service in effecting movement of both of the rams 14 and. 17 in unison just after the brick-pressing operations have been carried out. The object in so moving the rams is to obviate the occurrence of lines of disintegration in the bricks, which are frequently found therein. Just before the trunnions 13 have reached the limit of their upward movement in the slots 25 the cams 33 strike the wear-plates 35 on the brackets 3 1, and as the upper-toggle-link head continues to rotate the toggle-link 10 is lifted, owing to the fulcrumage of said cams on said wear-plates, to thereby occasion lifting action of the toggle-links 10 and 11, upper ram 14, and the tension-bars 27 and lower ram 17. By this upward movement of the parts the rams are moved in unison with each other, while the bricks are held between their plungers, with the consequent result that in the shifting of the bricks in plastic form in the mold-box they are rendered of a more compact mass to solidify them and avoid the presence of lines of disintegration in the finished bricks.

I claim as my invention 1. In a brick-machine, the combination of a frame, a mold-box, a pair of rams for movement to said mold-box, means for operating one of said rams, means for stopping the movement of said last-named ram previous to the completion of the pressing action, and tension-bars having connection with said ramoperating means and arranged to engage the second ram to move it toward the mold-box after the movement of the first ram is stopped, substantially as set forth.

2. In a brick-machine, the combination of a frame, a mold-box mounted in said frame, upper and lower rams for movement to said mold-box, means for operating said upper ram, tension bars having connection with said upper ram operating means, means whereby the movement of said upper ram is stopped in its downward travel previous to the completion of the pressing action, and means whereby said tension-bars are caused to engage and lift said lower ram after the downward movement of the upper ram is stopped, substantially as set forth.

3. In a brick-machine, the combination of a frame, a mold-box, upper and lower rams for movement to said mold-box, toggle-links connected to said upper ram and having loose engagement with said frame, means for moving said toggle-links to depress said upper ram, tension-bars suspended from said links, means for limiting the downward movement of said upper ram previous to the completion of the pressing action, and means whereby said lower ram is engaged by said tensionbars to lift the lower ram after the downward travel of the upper ram has ceased, substantially as set forth.

4;. In a brick-machine, the combination of a frame, a mold-box, upper and lower rams for movement to said mold boX, a toggle-link connected to said upper ram, a toggle-link connected to said first-named link and having trunnions reciprocally positioned in said frame, wedge-blocks mounted on said frame beneath the upper ram to limit its downward travel previous to the completion of the pressing action, tension-bars suspended from said toggle-link trunnions, and means whereby said tension-bars engage said lower ram to lift it after the movement of the upper ram has been stopped by said Wedge-blocks, substantially as set forth.

5. In a brick-machine, the combination of a frame, a mold-box, upper and lower rams for movement to said mold-box, a toggle-link connected to'said upper ram, a toggle-link connected to said first-named link and having trunnions reciprocally positioned in said frame, Wedge-blocks mounted on said frame beneath the upper ram to limit its downward travel previous to the completion of the pressing action, means for adjusting said Wedgeblocks, tension-bars suspended from said toggle-link trunnions, and means whereby said I 5 tension-bars engage said lower ram to lift it after the movement of the upper ram has been stopped by said Wedge-blocks, substantially as set forth.

JOHN A. COTHRAN.

In presence of NELLIE V. ALEXANDER, BLANCHE HOGAN. 

